Concerned that “private photos” that were “never intended to be shared publicly” were being shared online without the knowledge of the individuals involved, the University of Wisconsin women’s volleyball team announced that they will be contacting the police to investigate.
A statement was issued by the athletics department late Wednesday, indicating that the UW-Madison Police Department is looking into “multiple crimes” following contacts from student-athletes regarding the images and videos.
“We are aware that private photos and video of UW volleyball student-athletes that were never intended to be shared publicly are being circulated digitally,” stated the university’s statement.
In addition to possibly violating university policy and criminal statutes, the illegal sharing constitutes a substantial and unjustified breach of the privacy of the student-athletes.
An image that was supplied by an anonymous source shows several team members celebrating their November 2021 Big Ten championship with their sports bras lifted, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Sharing private images without permission is one of many crimes under investigation by the UWPD. The university police department is not looking into any wrongdoing by the volleyball players involved in this, the message went on to say.
Providing our student-athletes with the resources and support they need is our number one goal.
On Thursday, UWPD Executive Director of Communications Marc Lovicott spoke with News source, explaining that the institution is “unable to share any additional details” due to an ongoing investigation.
